


(you're my) medicine

by canonlytrans



Category: Homestuck
Genre: F/M, Hospitals, Light Angst, M/M, Mild Sexual Content, Minor Injuries, Minor Rose Lalonde/Kanaya Maryam, Multi, Nightmares, Polyamory, Polyswap 2019, like seriously it's super light
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-07
Updated: 2019-06-07
Packaged: 2020-04-12 00:37:43
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,428
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19120999
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/canonlytrans/pseuds/canonlytrans
Summary: Daily life in the Strider-Vantas-Harley household usually doesn't include hospital visits.





	(you're my) medicine

**Author's Note:**

  * For [FindingZ](https://archiveofourown.org/users/FindingZ/gifts).



> Hey, giftee! I REALLY hope you like this - I worked really hard on it. I didn't know if you wanted smut, so... didn't end up including it. But I hope this fit your prompt, I really do.
> 
> Title is vaguely from 'Medicine' by Havelin.

Thisis what mornings in the Strider-Vantas-Harley household usually look like: you wake up when the sun comes up, Jade wakes up to bark at whatever noise happens to pass through her ears, and that’s what wakes up Karkat, who groans and buries his head in the nearest pillow. Karkat cooks breakfast because if he doesn’t, Jade burns the food, and you just pour cereal because it’s too early for this shit, for fuck’s sake.

You lounge around half-naked until Jade goes “Dave, where are your clothes?” and you go “oh, shit, sorry” and Karkat frowns at the both of you until you grab your clothes off the floor of the living room - you don’t even remember taking them off in there - and Jade steals your hoodie and Karkat’s pants to wear (they fit nicely around her hips, and you grab her by the waist to kiss her and she giggles while Karkat snorts into his coffee.)

Karkat’s job as a Political Figure (trademark pending) means he works 9-to-5 on most days, usually off being busy and dealing with things in the Troll Kingdom.

Jade tends to the garden you have growling, sprawling, in the backyard, and you play whatever track you’re currently working on while you clean up the kitchen from breakfast.

Sometimes you and Jade crash on the couch once the house is cleaned, sometimes you both take a nap, sometimes you just make out and send Karkat raunchy pics, and sometimes you watch whatever show the two of you are bingeing together (you and Karkat do romcoms, Karkat and Jade watch murder mysteries or sciencey shows, and you and Jade watch documentaries.)

You bother Karkat via your group memo, Jade laughs at the messages you send.

This is what mornings _usually_ look like, at least. It’s a pretty easy life the three of you have going for you - Jade’s a scientist and works at Jake’s company, so her hours are of her own choosing. You DJ at a local nightclub on the weekends, and often run off with Aradia to archaeological digs when you can. And _obviously_ Karkat oversees the Troll Kingdom’s affairs. The three of you couldn’t be happier, because hey, you got the guy of your dreams and the girl you crushed on from a young age.

Sure, you’ve had your issues, like the time Karkat flipped pitch on you both (of which remembering still makes you drool a little), or when Jade brought home a litter of puppies, or the time Terezi walked in on the three of you in bed, naked, and asked to join in.

Every morning is different, but it’s always, in some way, the same.

It’s three in the morning when you wake up, sweating, because nightmares are worse than seeing Dirk’s naked asscheeks while he does the sideways tango with Jake (which you’ve seen, disgustingly enough.) Worse than regular nightmares, where you’re forced to dress up in a clown costume or rap on stage in front of Obama while naked or have to kiss Rose, are the ones that come from memories - like strifing Bro on the roof, sweating, Texas air swelteringly hot while you grip your katana with your tiny ten-year-old hands. Bro lunges at you and slices your neck open, and you wake up on the verge of screaming.

Every single time, it ends the same, with you looking down at the blood dripping down your shirt.

That never happened in real life, but since when did your brain give a shit about real life when it came to your PTSD-addled bad dreams?

Karkat shifts next to you, probably noting the change in your movement. Jade sleeps peacefully, letting out a tiny woof in her sleep, her ears twitching.

But they both stay asleep.

You flashstep out of bed as to not wake them up, grab your pants off the floor, and head into the living room, getting a cup of water from the kitchen and splashing some on your face. Bad idea, as it just gets your hair a little wet.

This isn’t the first time you’ve been awake this early. And it’ll never be the last.

You settle down on the couch and flick through channels on the TV, finally settling for some shitty program trying to sell you backscratchers. You just keep it on the lowest volume - it’s sort of comforting, in a weird way - and flip through one of the science books Jade keeps thrown around the house. Most of the words don’t make sense to you, but you’re a paleontology guy, not a biology guy.

It’s easy enough to get wrapped in the words you don’t understand that only the sound of footsteps wakes you up, and when you look up the TV’s on the morning news and dark sunlight’s filtering through the gauzy curtains you insisted on. There’s nice things about living in the Troll Kingdom, like the filter over the sky that keeps it from getting too bright - great for your light sensitivity issues, great for Karkat’s, not great for bright sunny days.

“Good morning,” says Jade, yawning as she stretches. She’s just in her underwear, no bra or shirt or anything else. She’s pretty muscular - probably more than you are. She leans over the couch and kisses you on the head, and you can feel her smiling against your hair, and you tilt your head back to kiss her on the mouth. She hasn’t brushed her teeth, so it’s kinda gross, but to be fair, neither have you.

“Morning, babe. Sleep well?”

“Better than you,” she says, and smiles at you, climbing over the couch to sit down next to you.

“Any good dreams? ‘Cause last night, I had this one where I was forced to dress up in a dinosaur costume and give cunnungilus to Barney’s giant purple love tunnel while the cast of Days of Our Lives watched in abject horror with these _massive_ boners. What the fuck do you think that means?”

“Probably,” says Jade, “that you need to quit making up dreams, Dave.”

“I’m not makin’ it up - I _legit_ dreamt that Barney shoved his underwear oyster at my pie hole.”

“Was the dinosaur costume at least comfy?”

“Oh yeah, fucking _velvet_. Like a smuppet’s plush buttocks.”

“You’re a dinosaur furry,” she says, and laughs. “Are you hungry?”

Your stomach rumbles, like it’s been waiting for someone to ask that, and you stifle a groan at the comedic timing there. “Yeah, a little. But you’re not cooking for me. Last time you tried to cook, you almost burnt down the house. Whoever said women should be in the kitchen obviously didn’t meet Jade Harley, who has the cooking skills of a sim at start up.”

“So I can only cook grilled cheese?”

“Not even that. You haven’t even touched the damn stove yet. We’re talking college student levels of cooking, Jade, it’s horrible. You’re a toddler learning to walk but walking is actually using an oven.”

“I’m not that bad!” she protests, and you laugh. “Okay, maybe I am… but I’m really good at other things.”

“Oh, I know _that_. You’re Miss Science Project. Plus, I’d say you’re fucking fantastic in the bedroom. Hey, maybe instead of eating breakfast I could just eat you out.”

Jade blushes a _little_ at that, but she’s still laughing, swatting at you a little. “Maybe later. We have cereal, though!”

“Captain Crunch or Froot Loops? ‘Cause you know I don’t like Cheerios - they’re fucking nasty.”

“Both! And no Cheerios, this is a Cheerio free household, mister!” She leans forward and kisses you on the forehead before getting to her feet and heading into the kitchen, opening up the fridge and pulling out the milk carton. You check the cupboards until you find the first cereal box there is, pour some into a bowl, and sit down to eat.

Twenty minutes later, Karkat comes out… and he looks like shit.

You’ve seen him bloodied and bruised. You’ve seen him covered in jizz and hickeys and scratches. You’ve seen him tired. You’ve seen him crying. In other words, you’ve seen him look like utter crap. But the worst, you think, is when he wakes up and looks like he’s about to deliver some really shitty news. That’s probably not what’s going to happen - you know he’s probably just had the same night as you, another nightmare to add to the bonfire.

(You’re thinking about getting some sticks to roast marshmallows over this fire, might as well not waste it.)

Surprisingly, he’s already dressed, though - wearing his slacks and button down shirt, gray resting against his chest, darker gray jacket pulled tight. He looks nice, and it almost sends a pang of arousal through you (damn suit kink.)

“Good morning,” says Jade cheerily, smiling over at him, but she looks worried behind her glasses.

“Ugh.” says Karkat in return, rubbing at his eyes. “Who the hell invented _sunlight_? Some doltish shitlicking rodhumper of a _piece of crap_ -”

Damn, the Karkatisms are through the roof, and they’re not even his good ones.

Probably a bad dream.

You get up and close the blinds.

“Incompetent dunderfucks,” he mumbles, opening the fridge and staring at it for a good twenty seconds. “I’m fucking exhausted of sunlight, can we just turn the fucking sun off? Jade, you’re the space god, can you make the sun super fucking tiny or something? Fucking damn it, nookhumping _shitwaffles_ -”

“Wow, okay,” you say, “first of all, I think if Jade minimized the sun, we’d all freeze to death. We’re _not_ penguins.” Maybe you are actually penguins, and should move to Antarctica, where it’s cold and dark. Well, you’d hate the cold, but at least it’d be nice and dark.

“Shut up, Strider.”

Ah, one of _those_ days.

He’s glaring at you, and you can tell he’s been crying, so you just step towards him, and open your arms, and he just hugs you, holds onto you like you’re an anchor. Or maybe a lighthouse, and he’s a ship at sea, or some other metaphor that isn’t coming to you right now because you’re still thinking about Bro’s katana and how hot it is in Houston.

... _Was_ in Houston. Seeing as Houston is dead and gone, and what _used_ to be Texas is just the south part of the Human Kingdom.

“What’s going on?” Jade asks, with that one voice you know is her moirail voice (they’ve always vacillated a little pale), or her best attempt at it. She’s papping Karkat already, which looks silly, shooshing him and hugging him from behind while he holds onto you for dear life. “Hey, hey, shhh, it’s okay.”

He’s not making any noise, which makes the shoosh part of the shooshpap _really_ funny.

Karkat makes a quiet, muffled noise into your chest.

“Dude, can’t hear you. Karkat. Hey. It’s okay,” you say softly. “What’s going on?”

“I got a call to come in to work at 4:30. And I missed it. Because I was having a goddamn nightmare about fucking _Eridan_.”

“Why’d they need you in at four am?” Jade asks, frowning over Karkat’s head at you - _what do you think’s going on?_

You raise one eyebrow: _no clue_.

“No idea. I have to fucking eat something and get into work now.” He squeezes out from between the two of you and starts rummaging through the cabinets, his teeth gritting together. “Where are the damn energy bars? For _fuck’s_ sake, Dave, did you eat them _again_?”

“Try the -”

He opens the cabinet before you can finish, pulls out the already-opened box of energy bars, and pulls two out, ripping one open and devouring it before you can even blink. Muffeldly, you hear him go “thank you” as he grabs his briefcase off the table.

He looks so grown up, compared to you and Jade.

You hear the garage door open, and the car engine roar to life, and you settle down on the couch next to Jade, a bowl of Cheerios in hand. “Do you think he’s okay?”

“Probably?” Jade takes off her glasses, cleans them on your shirt. “I should probably get dressed… maybe I should head into work? Jake would probably love to see me…”

“That’s you, Miss Botanologist.”

“Isn’t that just fancy for botanist?”

“Yeah,” you say, and lean over, kissing her right on the mouth. “God, y’know, I was like kinda tempted to just force Karkat to stay home, tear that suit off him…”

Jade swats at your shoulder, giggling. “Don’t be nasty! I’m not even _dressed_.”

“What? Scared you’ll get all wet and then your boyfriend’ll have to get down and dirty on your sloppy kayak?”

“Stop! That’s gross! I have work.” She’s still laughing, and you can tell she knows you were joking (unless she didn’t want you to be, but that’s a given.) “Plus, kayak? That’s so dumb.”

“Okay, canoe _might_ fit more. I’ll work on it.”

  
  


[ **carcinoGeneticist** is now online! ]

**GG:** hey whatever happened to the first group chat, karkat?

**GG:** i just realized this isnt the first one... :(

**CG:** DAVE KEPT COMPLAINING ABOUT NOT GETTING ENOUGH SLEEP WHILE, AND I QUOTE, “YOU AND JADE GO AT IT IN THE SHOWER.”

**CG:** SO I DELETED THE ORIGINAL GROUP CHAT.

**TG:** okay look you guys were really fucking loud

**TG:** i didnt realize how loud the three of us could get until its just hearing some 1x1 shit

**TG:** not that some shower sex action isnt great as fuck but you two were loud and i was trying to sleep

**CG:** THAT WAS LIKE A YEAR AGO, DAVE.

**TG:** so whats your point you still do it

**CG:** UGH.

**GG:** dont fight! really i didnt realize we could get so loud… im so sorry.

**TG:** oh yeah its all like “oooh jade oooh your vaginas so tight” “oh karkat your bulge is soooo slimy” “oh oh oh fuck oh”

**CG:** THAT’S A PREPOSTEROUS AND NONSENSICAL VERSION OF WHAT OUR SHOWER SEX SOUNDS LIKE. NOT ONCE HAS JADE EVER SAID “OH YOUR BULGE IS SO SLIMY.” I DON’T EVEN THINK MY BULGE IS THAT SLIMY.

**GG:** your bulge isnt slimy, karkat!! :/

**CG:** THANK YOU, JADE. WERE I NOT AT WORK RIGHT NOW I WOULD COME TO YOU AND SWEEP YOU OFF YOUR FEET AND PLANT MANY A KISS ON YOUR STRANGE HUMAN FACE.

**TG:** now youre just being an asshole on purpose

**CG:** WHEN AM I NOT?

**TG:** touche

**CG:** BESIDES, WHEN YOU AND JADE GO AT IT LIKE A PAIR OF NOOKHUMPING TEENAGERS WHO HAVE NEVER HAD SEX BEFORE, YOU CAN GET PRETTY LOUD. AND YOU DON’T EVEN DO ME THE GOOD DEED OF HAVING SEX IN THE SHOWER OR ON THE BED, YOU HAVE TO FUCK ON THE COUCH, OR THE COUNTER, OR THE TABLE, OR IN THE CAR, OR LITERALLY ANYWHERE ELSE THAT MAKES ABSOLUTELY NO SENSE.

**TG:** look sometimes she puts the strap on and i just gotta go for it right there dude

**TG:** you know how it is with jades strap

**GG:** awww i didnt realize you liked it that much!!

**TG:** i can picture you happily wagging your tail right now

**CG:** SHE DOESN’T HAVE A TAIL, NUMBNUTS.

**TG:** thats my fucking point

**TG:** if she did have a tail though

**TG:** she would definitely be wagging it

**CG:** UGH. I HAVE WORK TO DO, I’M HEADING IN RIGHT NOW.

**CG:** I’LL TALK TO YOU LATER.

[ **carcinoGeneticist** is now offline! ]

TG: what no i love you or other unironic displays of affection huh

[ **carcinoGeneticist** is now online! ]

**CG:** OH YEAH.

**CG:** I LOVE YOU BOTH.

**CG:** <3

**TG:** love you <3

**GG:** i love you too, you two <3 :)

[ **carcinoGeneticist** is now offline! ]

  
  


It’s 12 pm, and you’re laying across the couch, listening to Fergie on your phone and mumbling along to the lyrics of ‘Clumsy’ when you get a notification from the group chat, you pause your song, expecting to open it and get some raunchy pics from your boyfriend while he’s at lunch break. He’s done that before, sent pictures of a wiggly he got, his hand stained red in the bathroom while he takes care of business. One time, Jade sent a picture back with her fingers shoved up herself, captioned “pity you boys aren’t here :(” and you died on the spot. Like, French ‘little death’ kinda dying. Ruined your pants with your hand in them, but still.

However, it is not at all a raunchy picture of any kind. Instead, it’s two words that’ll always send your entire throuple into a kerfuffle.

**CG:** RED ALERT.

...Fuck.

(It’s pretty simple. A few years back, Karkat got into a minor car accident, and the three of you decided on making up a pretty easy-to-remember system for letting someone know there was an emergency.

“Yellow alert” for minor emergencies, like getting sick at the office. “Orange alert” for slightly bigger emergencies, like if Rose was in the hospital. And “red alert”, for the really bad ones.

Like a car accident.

Like serious damage.)

You immediately quick-dial Karkat’s number, and he doesn’t pick up. You try Jade’s, and she doesn’t either, so you grab your socks and shoes and pull those on. You’re practically hopping around on one foot trying to get your socks on when your phone rings, and you dive across the couch to grab it, hitting the accept button before you even look and see who it is.

“Dave?” it’s Jade. Her voice is shaky. “Are you… are you watching the news?”

“No?”

“...Turn it on. Channel 5…”

You fumble between the cushions for the remote, pulling out a lacy bra out with it, and toss that aside, flicking through channels until you get to the right one. Jade’s still on the phone, and you have the phone pressed to your shoulder pressed to your ear so you can hear her.

“- arson attack -”

“- you seeing this -”

“- four dead -”

“ - Dave -”

“- assistant secretary of housing and urban development, Karkat Vantas -”

“- he’s -”

You can’t tell the difference between their voices, between the reporter’s and Jade’s, between the images of them putting out the fire at Karkat’s office (the biggest government building in the kingdom) and the flickering at the bottom of the television, listing off that honey prices are down, that CrockerCorp shares are up, and that John Egbert was sighted in Old Berlin.

“He’s not dead,” breathes Jade, “but he’s being taken to the hospital, and…”

“Fuck,” you say, and turn off the television.

“I’ll meet you there?”

“Yeah.”

  
  


You started dating Karkat on the meteor, one and a half years in. Well, you didn’t actually label it, didn’t call it dating, until the end of the third year, just in case something happened. 

After months of dancing around it, your growing feelings for him (the kind that made your stomach feel weird and your pants a mess after some really weird but hot dreams), you kissed him. You didn’t even think about it, about what it’d mean for your relationship.. You just kissed him during 50 First Dates, curled up together on the couch, your head resting on his shoulder.

He was gorgeous, his eyelashes framing those bright yellow eyes, and you couldn’t take your eyes off him, and it made you feel like you’d eaten too much Chinese takeout, like you were going to go vomit up a storm of butterflies.

It wasn’t fair, how pretty he was. It made you jealous. You were fifteen years old, covered in acne, you probably needed braces if you ever got off of here, and he was unfairly hot.

“You need a haircut,” he said, looking down at you. “God, Strider, do you EVER cut your -”

You cut him off by pressing your lips to his. His eyes closed, eyelashes tickling the bridge of your nose and his nose bumping against your shades as he turned his head to press into it. His teeth clanked against yours, and it was weird. Probably was supposed to be a lot better, because it was really just gross and sloppy and his teeth dragged against your tongue, drawing blood.

You got up and took off, and he surprised you more than you’d surprised yourself.

He ran after you, breathing heavily - he was a little out of shape, chubbier than you. “Str - Dave, wait. I… I didn’t realize you…”

“Liked you?” Your cheeks felt like you’d been sticking your face in the oven. Or been living in the Sahara Desert for forty days and forty hella long nights, and the second you were off this meteor, you were moving to the closest thing to Greenland, and never seeing him again, because there was no way he wasn’t going to hate you for this. “Sorry, it was an accident, I’m so fuckin’ -”

“Dave.” His voice softened. “You… you pity me?”

“No, I don’t fucking pity you, I’m not a fucking troll - don’t get all fulsome or whatever on me, I’m seriously not -”

He stepped closer, and reached out, and grabbed your hand from where it rested, just hanging partway in the air.

“I pity you, too.”

And from then on, the two of you were dating. Two assholes getting sickeningly sweet together, cuddling up on top of pillows and talking about your feelings all pale-like, or bickering like an old pitch couple, or making out like two teenagers. 

Your heart just felt so fucking big, all robust and filled to bursting, like you had so much fucking love to share with Karkat Vantas. Sure, he had an old crush on Terezi… and another old crush on John… and _something_ for Sollux… and those were old, wouldn’t go anywhere.

_Your_ heart was _just_ for Karkat.

Rose and Kanaya continued being the apotheosis of flush, and Vriska and Terezi started paleing it up, and then there was you and Karkat, not labeling it because if you DID label it, if you decided you were moirails or kismesis or matesprits, you’d have to quit doing everything that DIDN’T fit that quadrant.

And… you didn’t want to do that, so at the very end, he just became your boyfriend. Your kispritrail, or some other funky word that didn’t actually exist in the quadrant dictionary. And that’s what you were, and then...

And then Jade came along. Back into the picture. You’d won, and the three of you somehow grouped up, hanging out together outside of the game. You drank wine that smelled like sour grape juice, watched shitty movies and laughed together, slept on a queen-sized bed that was a little too small for the three of you to fit comfortably. Jade changed in front of the two of you, you made out with Karkat in front of her.

And one day, Jade sat down at the dining table and said, “Davepetasprite asked me out.”

“Oh shit,” you said, blinking at her. Eighteen years old, looking up from doodling on a page with your raps (did unusual kinda rhyme with brutal or youthful better?) “And you said yeah, right?”

Your stomach did a flip when she nodded. It felt weird, and you didn’t like the way it made you wonder if sprites were easy to kill or if they could even die at all (of course they could, Davesprite had died, hadn’t he?)

Karkat put a hand on your thigh, and you realized you’d been squeezing the pencil too tightly. Tight enough the eraser had popped out.

“I did,” she said, repeating her nod, “but… I mean, I could say no! I could change my mind…” Jade was frowning, her two bigger teeth biting into her lip. She looked like a really cute beaver or something, her dark coils resting on her shoulders and her mouth curved into an almost question mark-shaped frown.

You’d always had a little bit of a crush on her, but you’d thought it’d faded.

And then Karkat said, “But what? Why even consider that? Don’t be a cuntwaffle, Jade, if you said yes, you should fucking go, unless you got some goddamn issues with it.”

“Don’t cuss so much! It’s rude!”

“Ugh. What’s the problem?”

“Well,” said Jade, and she visibly blushed, looking at the table, tracing a her nail into the groove of the wood. “...aren’t _we_ basically dating? Minus the kissing… and the sex… and actually labelling it… but I basically live with the two of you, and we’re always sleeping together and I tag along on your dates and… I mean, polyamory’s a thing…”

You and Karkat exchanged a look.

Fifteen minutes later, your back was pressed into the bed while Jade kissed you, leaning back to pull her shirt over her head, her ears flickering happily. Karkat yanked his own shirt off, his pants not far behind, and Jade raised her skirt, pulling your dick out of your boxers and settling down on it, mumbling, “I’m on birth control, it’s fine, I’ve… wanted this a long time…”

“Me too,” said Karkat, and he grabbed her jaw and kissed her.

It wasn’t like fucking Karkat, it was tighter and better built for you and you could barely manage a “me three” without coming then and there.

You lasted about two minutes longer.

And then the three of you were dating.

Intertwined, not something you could separate or pull apart. You were Jade and Dave and Karkat, said together like it was almost one word, Jade’s name no longer haphazardly tacked on.

You were Dave and Karkat and Jade, Strider and Vantas and Harley, and you were happy.

You _are_ happy.

  
  


“Hospitals are the worst,” you say, holding Jade’s hand while Rose listens on the other side of the phone. “They’re making us wait - I mean, we’re his quads -”

“Yes, yes, I know. Legally, you’re his matesprit, and Jade is his moirail, I know, I know. You’ve been saying this for the past fifteen minutes, Dave. Kanaya’s keeping me a little busy right now… but perhaps we can meet you at the hospital in a few hours?” You can hear Rose sigh, and a noise in the background, then a bland “Oh no, Bast got into the sink again.”

Out of all of Rose’s cats, Bast was the youngest. There’s Bast, Aletheia, Azathoth, and Yidhra, almost all black cats with green eyes. “Sorry. Look, are you sure there’s nothin’ you can do? I mean… you’re Rose _Maryam_.”

“Just because I share my wife’s surname does not mean I am her. And it’s _Lalonde_ -Maryam, thank you very much. My surname is just as important as hers. I’ll be there as soon as I can, dear brother, but I cannot promise anything until then.”

“Well, shit’s popping off over here, so.”

“Hmm. I have to hang up. I’ll call you right back.”

And Rose does, in fact, hang up.

Jade squeezes your hand, sitting in the waiting room while the paramedics rushed another survivor into the back. You hadn’t even seen Karkat, had no idea how bad his injuries were - they couldn’t be too bad, he was one of the last to be treated, so… they couldn’t be _that_ bad, could they?

The walls are painted pale yellow, all smiley and shit, but you can smell hand sanitizer and latex from here. The coffee cup in Jade’s hand’s shaking a little, only half filled and mostly with cream and sugar (she prefers it dark, but they hadn’t asked, just handed it to her when she’d said her moirail was hurt.)

“I wish we could just say he’s our boyfriend…” Jade mumbles. “I’m not always his moirail…”

“And sometimes I am, for fuck’s sake. It’s fucking shit. We’ve been together for, what, almost seven years now? You’d _think…_ like… we vacillate, we flip, shit happens…”

“I know,” she says, looking over at you, laying her head on your shoulder.

There’s a little kid sitting across from you, bright red hair pulled into curly pigtails, and she’s looking over at the two of you in awe. You laugh when you realize the pattern on her shirt is Rose’s Light symbol, her earrings winged and shaped like hope.

You’re not as recognizable as you used to be - you ditched the shades, for the most part, unless you were somewhere with bright fluorescent lights or outdoors. So now they sat right on the bridge of your nose. And Jade? Her hair’s pulled into a bun, hanging low at the back of her neck, and it’s a cute look on her, with the glasses and the white SkaiaNet blazer, her name tag still clipped to it. You’re not exactly the obvious gods, out of the eight - well, ten if you counted Aradia and Vriska - of you. Like Dirk, with his pointy K-shaped shades, or Jake and Jane, being international celebrities… way more noticeable.

Jade’s head rests on your shoulder.

Your mouth tastes like saltines.

The coffee cup shakes in her other hand.

The lights burn into your skin, making your hair feel hot.

Your phone buzzes, and you glance down, frowning when you see Rose’s pesterchum handle.

**TT:** Sorry, Dave. Things got hectic. We’ll be over as soon as we can. Kanaya wants to know if we can bring food, she doesn’t want Karkat to have to eat hospital food. Which is understandable, it’s disgusting.

**TG:** ill ask the second we even get info

**TG:** they havent even bothered giving just jade something

**TG:** shes legally his rail youd think theyd get all ‘oh yes ms harley lemme give you this information on your boyfriend cause thats fucking important and youre probably worried out of your mind’

**TG:** but apparently thats impossible

**TT:** Keep in mind that other people were injured, Dave.

**TT:** They’re likely dealing with worse injuries. It’s a teaching hospital, you know.

**TG:** its stupid is what it is

**TT:** Sigh.

**TT:** I know it’s hard to wait, I do. Believe me, I understand, you’re worried. Have you been taking your meds?

**TG:** no shit ive been taking my meds

**TG:** im over here with anxiety and ptsd up the wazoo

**TG:** of course im taking my fucking meds

**TT:** I assumed as much.

Jade squeezes your hand a little tighter, and you realize you’re crying, so you push your shades up and wipe away the tears that form. Everything seems murky, like you’re stuck in swamp water and peering through it to see, and all you can see is that girl sitting across from you, with her arm in a cast, right next to a red-haired woman who you think must be her mother.

Is Karkat alone right now?

Is he okay?

How badly hurt is he?

You don’t know, and that’s the problem.

  
  


Rose and Kanaya arrive just after the nurse escorts you to see Karkat, but you don’t see them then. The walls are soft, muted blue, and there’s a television set attached to the wall. There’s an IV stand and a heart monitor, but they don’t seem to be in use - heck, Karkat’s just sitting on the edge of the bed, his arms bandaged up. He’s sitting away from you, talking to the doctor - a troll woman with Y-shaped horns - and he sounds _really_ annoyed.

“Are you going to let me see my family now?”

“Mr. Vantas,” says the doctor, “they’re -”

“They’re my fucking FAMILY. I want them to be here, because I love -” Karkat stops, and turns, and… one eye is covered in bandages, he’s pressing an ice pack to that side of his face, but his other eye lights up upon seeing you and Jade. “Oh my gog. You’re… fuck, you heard that, didn’t you?”

“Family, huh?” you say, because what the fuck are you supposed to say? He’s right there, with his arms bandaged up and one eye covered up and… he looks mostly fine, but still. “...What happened?”

“Anti-Troll Kingdom protest last night… there was a bomb threat, that’s why I got called in… the guy was fucking easy to find, they got him before I clocked in, but… one of his _buddies_ started a fire in the…” He trails off, reaching up towards his eye, wincing. “In the basement.”

“But what happened?” you ask, insistent.

Karkat frowns, turning his head away from the two of you. Jade reaches out, puts a hand on his shoulder, gives a faint smile. “It’s okay if you don’t want to talk about it, Karkat.”

“Look. It’s… kind of embarrassing, okay? Talking about it. With…” He tilts his head towards the doctor, who coughs in response. “...well, with everyone.” He laughs, bitter, and his hand scrunches in the bed sheets. “All you need to know is that I’m fine. Minor burns on this arm -” He lifts his left arm a little and winces, “- and some glass got embedded in my other arm, but it’s fine. My eye… it’ll be fine, just a minor injury.”

“It’ll need a few weeks,” says the doctor, and you notice she’s holding a clipboard. “Orbital floor blowout fracture. Surgery’s planned for first thing tomorrow - the other patients had more serious injuries, I’m sorry. He’ll have to see a maxillofacial surgeon to help repair it, but after about four weeks, he should be seeing fine again.”

“Should?” you ask, blinking.

“Well, yes. Occasionally other eye issues follow, hence why he’ll need to see a maxillofacial surgeon to receive help.” She gestures at the clipboard. “He’ll be staying through the night, then surgery, than a following 24 hours while here to make sure there’s no issues with the surgery. Mr. Vantas has already signed an agreement to this, but I assume his moirail and matesprit would want to know.”

“Yeah,” you say, squeezing Jade’s hand tight, “we would.”

The doctor frowns at the two of you, and says, “I’ll leave you three alone.” And then she’s gone, before you can even blink at it, and you’re standing in Karkat’s room, staring at your boyfriend while he sits there, not looking at you or Jade.

You and Jade sit down next to him, one of you on either side.

“Are... are you okay?” Jade asks, reaching over as if asking for his hand. He gives it to her, wincing a little as her fingers curl around his.

“What does it _look_ like, Jade? Do I _look_ like I’m okay?” He laughs again, that bitter noise harsh on your ears, and his throat makes a clicking noise you don’t recognize. He tilts his head down, away from your gaze, and you carefully put your hand on his right shoulder. He doesn’t give any sign he even notices. “No, I’m not fucking okay. My arm’s burnt, I’ll have burn scars from that for the rest of my goddamn short-lived mutant life…”

“Shut up. Jane can heal your scars. Hell, she could heal your eye, too,” you say.

“Dave, for once in your goddamn life, YOU shut up. Maybe I don’t want to get any fucking god tier powers involved in my health, did you ever think of that?” He pulls away from you both, stands up and walks over to the window, visibly wincing when he places his arms against the sill. “I don’t wanna talk about it, okay? Just… why don’t you two go home, do whatever the fuck it is you two do when I’m not there.”

“We’re not leaving.” Jade lets out a sigh, crossing her ankles. “We’re your partners, Karkat! We’re not going to leave you just because you got injured!”

“Fuck that,” you say. “I’m your boyfriend, she’s your girlfriend. You’re our family. Family doesn’t fucking leave each other behind. We’ll stay overnight or something - but we’re not fuckin’ leaving just because you’re upset and bitchin’ about your injuries. I WILL call Jane if I have to.”

Karkat groans. “You’re both stubborn asses.”

“Yeah, and _YOU_ like our stubborn asses.”

That earns you a laugh, and Karkat turns back towards the two of you, the flicker of a smile across his lips. “Fine. You can stay. If you snore, though, I will kick you both to a hotel.”

You move off the bed and plop down on the chair beside it, patting your lap. “Nah, you’re stuck with us. No hotels. Just the three of us in this hospital room. You signed up for this shit when you started datin’ us, so you’re stuck with us.”

“You’re the worst,” says Karkat, wincing when he laughs. He presses the ice pack against the side of his face and smiles at the two of you, a Karkat-ian smile that makes your heart swell up to the size of a fucking football field. It’s a nice feeling, honestly, and you reach over, take his hand, and take Jade’s too.

“We’re here for you, Kar. You know that, right?”

“I do.” He pulls his hand back. “Your hand is sweaty.”

Jade giggles, then looks over at you and says, “Rose and Kanaya are here. You should go see them.”

So you do.

  
  


You wake up the next morning to hear Jade and Karkat whispering.

Karkat hasn’t been taken to surgery yet, apparently. He’s laying there, in Jade’s arms - she’s behind him, propped up on pillows, beneath the blankets, and you’re sure that’s probably not okay in a hospital, but nobody’s come in to yell at them for it. Karkat’s just mumbling something you can’t understand in your barely awake state, and Jade’s talking quietly back to him, sweet words that you know would come off as pale to anyone listening.

It is, after all, why she’s his moirail-of-sorts. Jade is sweet, she’s kind, she listens. And she’s good at calming Karkat down - just like he’s good at talking her down from the precipice when she needs it.

Watching them cuddle in piles is pretty cool, you think. You’ve never really been one for piles - you did one or two with the two of them, but the feelings you got sprawled over blankets and pillows and some romance movie DVD cases shoved in there… you didn’t really like the tears that sprung up, the emotions that spilled forth.

It wasn’t exactly the most fun thing ever.

“I don’t… I don’t know what to say,” Karkat whispers, and you tilt your head slightly to hear, pretending to stay asleep. You don’t want to eavesdrop, but there’s a side of him that you never see aside from these brief moments with Jade. “Sure, you’re both fucking wonderful people, but what if someday… I’m not enough for you, or him?”

“That’s what communication is for,” says Jade, taking his hand and bringing it to her lips.

Karkat rolls his eye. “Sure. Communication’s fucking swell as shit, but it’s not always easy. What if you decide you want someone else? What if…”

“Then I’ll find someone else. But you know me, Karkat! I’m more of a two-boyfriend girl myself,” she says, and she giggles. “Sometimes that just happens! We’re all going to live a long time, you know that, right? Maybe we’ll have other partners… but you’re the sun, Karkat. We’ll both gravitate back to you. Always.”

You hear the smile in his voice when he says, “The sun’s fucking bright as fuck, Jade. Do you know how fucking BRIGHT the sun is? It’ll sear it’s lazer-y rays right into your skull. And then you’ll die a sad, pitiful death, sprawled across the sidewalk with concrete making an imprint into your fucking skull. It’ll be sad, and then we’ll have to bury you. Please don’t ask me to be the pailbearer, I don’t want anything to do with pails.”

“It’s… pallbearer…”

“Shut up. Don’t tell me what I don’t know.”

You casually roll your shoulders back and stretch, because it seems like the conversation’s over and they’re just descending into fun bickering times, and you don’t want to miss out on that. “G’morning,” you say, yawning, and grabbing your water bottle off the side table. “When’s your surgery anyways?”

“Half an hour. I haven’t eaten fucking shit. Or had anything to drink. This fucking sucks. Give me that water, I don’t give a shit if it causes complications, I need moisture in my goddamn mouth stat.”

Jade lets out a groan. “I’m going to go get breakfast, now that you’ve joined the land of the living, Dave!”

“Oh, thank god. Bring me back something,” says Karkat, looking over at her. “I’ll take an omelette with scarabs. Oh, fuck, or some snails, please, Jade, I’ll love you for-fucking-ever.”

Another groan. “I’m _not_ bringing you food.”

“Yes, you are. Please, Jade, I’m begging you. I’ll…” Karkat pauses, looking between you and her. “I’ll get on my goddamn hands and knees!”

“Cussing won’t help. Dave, do you want anything?”

You frown, yawning behind your hand. “I’ll wait til he goes in for surgery.”

“Will you even be hungry?”

“Maybe. We’ll see.”

Jade shakes her head, and pulls a hair tie off her wrist, tying her hair back before she leaves the room - and then it’s just you and Karkat, Karkat’s hands resting on top of the sheets, his gaze away from yours.

You take another drink of water, and check your phone. A few messages from family, friends - but aside from that, there’s really nothing. You’re tired (sleeping in a hospital’s never any fun), but until you can get home, get to your actual bed, you’ll be tired. And that’ll probably be a while anyways.

“So…” you say, looking up from your phone. “Did you sleep well?”

“Not a fucking wink. You?”

“Barely. Dreamt about Barbie dolls taking over the world and making everyone look like Ken. Well, ‘cept for the women, they stayed the same. Somethin’ about male empowerment? I dunno man, it was weird.”

Karkat grunts in response.

“...And in my dream, you were there,” you continue, because it’s clear he’s not going to keep talking. “And instead of horns, there were traffic cones. It was kinda sexy, actually, now that I think about it. You looked like a sexy traffic jam. What’s that holdin’ up traffic on the freeway? Oh, it’s Karkat Vantas.”

“...Wow.”

“Yeah. It was weird. But I mean, coulda been weirder. You could’ve been decked out like one of those traffic light things. Y’know, red for don’t touch, green for go. Bet there would’ve been green over your bulge for me and Jade, but nobody else, right?”

“Shut up,” Karkat says, rolling his eye at you. “You’re an asshole.”

“I’m _your_ asshole.”

“Yeah, you are. So shut up before I rip myself a new one.”

You stand up and stretch again, zipping down your hoodie and hanging it over the back of the chair, taking a look at the notes the doctor left for you - surgery, then twenty four hour postoperative vision checks. So… twenty four more hours here, before you can go home.

Well… before _Karkat_ can go home.

But why would you leave him? He’s your mate. Your boyfriend. Your… well, your everything. He and Jade are your family in a way that nobody else is. Sure, you have Rose, and she’s your twin sister, she’s your soulmate in the basic sense of the word. You have Roxy, who’s the closest you’ll ever have to a cool older sister. And then there’s Dirk, who, despite his cool aloofness, is an amazing person, and you’re lucky to know him.

But Karkat and Jade?

They’re… your future.

“After the surgery, you want us to bring you anything?” you ask, glancing over at him.

“Fuck. A milkshake from McGrubbles would be fantastic. God, or pizza. Or a sub… hmm. Melted swiss and that fake grubloaf shit, that’d be great on a sub.”

“Okay, one thing at a time, you don’t even know if you’ll have an appetite for that,” you say, laughing, pulling your phone back out of your pocket and jotting down in your notes his order - not that you don’t already have his regular memorized (Italian herb and cheese, melted swiss, fake grubloaf, tomatoes, and longhorn beetles. Always a favorite. That, plus a chocolate chip cookie and a soda, and you’ll have a very happy Karkat on your hands.)

Karkat groans out, “You know I will. I’m fucking STARVING, Dave.”

“Okay, okay, fine. But you know I won’t eat this if you’re not hungry.”

“Jade will,” he says. “Just pick the grubloaf out.”

“But that _always_ leaves that aftertaste she complains about.”

“Ugh. Fuck. You’re right.” Karkat lets out a sigh, covering his other eye with one hand. “I always forget about that… she always eats it anyways, doesn’t she?”

“I caught her eating grass once.”

“It was to help me throw up!” says Jade, and you turn to see her holding a small tray. She sits down on the edge of the bed - and you immediately see the bottle of AJ, and reach for it, before she smacks your hand with her own. “No, you said you didn’t want anything.”

“Oh, so you’re just gonna drink that and make me watch?”

She raises an eyebrow at you.

“Ugh, fine, okay, can I pleaaaase have it?”

“No! I got it for myself.”

You tilt your head towards the thing of cranberry juice - her favorite. “And what’s that?”

“For dessert. I’m very hungry.”

“You’re _always_ hungry,” says Karkat. “Can I have it? Seriously, I’ll owe you for the rest of my fucking life. And just give him the damn AJ bottle, we all know you got it for him, because you love him. More than you love me, I guess.”

“Shush. You can’t eat or drink for twelve hours before the procedure, you know that!” Jade shakes her head and hands you the apple juice, and you pop the top off and suck it down like you’re a vampire and it’s blood. Or… some other metaphor. You’ll get back to it some other time. Sweet, sweet heavenly apple juice, the nectar of your gaggle of gods. Or maybe just you.

It’s probably the best apple juice you’ve ever had.

You’re sipping at it when the doctor comes in. She frowns at the two of you, sitting there. “We’ll be taking Mr. Vantas back for surgery now,” she says, and Karkat gets up, smoothing down his hospital gown. “You two are free to wait here.”

Jade looks up from her tray, holding a piece of bacon between her fingers. “I think we will,” she says, and looks over at you. “Are you gonna go get some breakfast?”

“Yeah,” you say, and watch the doctor and Karkat leave.

  
  


After Karkat gets out of surgery, you swing by Subway and grab him a sandwich - and a milkshake from McGrubbles, chocolate, to boot. Jade stays at the hospital, so you swing by the house, too, grab yourself and her a change of clothes… and a change of clothes for Karkat, for when he leaves tomorrow afternoon, once his twenty four hours are up.

The house seems empty, for a Saturday afternoon, and you don’t like it. The fridge hums in the background, but that’s the only noise, really. No TV, no music, no buzz of Karkat and Jade talking. The only thing you can hear is the fridge and your thoughts, so you pull out your phone and put on some Usher while you grab your clothes. ‘Climax’ plays while you change, brush your teeth, and throw on some dry shampoo so you don’t smell like you’ve been sleeping at the hospital.

You grab Jade’s favorite sweater - it’s a little cold in the hospital, you heard her complaining about it - and a pair of her favorite yoga pants. They’re comfortable, and you’ve pulled them off her a few times. But that’s not what you should be thinking about right now - you should be thinking about getting back to the hospital. The food’s time-frozen in the car, so it doesn’t get cold (it’ll give you a headache later, but it’s worth it to see the look on Karkat’s face.)

Then you lock up.

The ride back to the hospital’s just a buzz of music - Kanye West and Akon and Ne-Yo mixing together, the songs of your childhood mashed up into what seems to only last five minutes. You park the car, grab the food and your overnight bag, and head back inside, carefully balancing the cardboard drink holder in one hand so you don’t drop it.

You manage to get back to Karkat’s room just fine.

He perks up on seeing you - “still a little on anesthetic,” Jade whispers, and Karkat doesn’t seem to hear it, so you know he really is a little held up there - and reaches for the milkshake the second you hand it to him.

“One chocolate milkshake and sandwich for Karkat Vantas… a vanilla milkshake for my gorgeous girlfriend,” you say, and press a kiss to Jade’s forehead, her ears wiggling when she takes the shake from you. “And also a sandwich for you, almost forgot.”

“You’d forget your shades if they weren’t on your head,” she giggles, and grabs the bag from you, opening it up and pulling out the carefully wrapped sandwich labeled ‘J.’ “Ham and -”

You cut her off, laughing. “Ham, turkey, sweet peppers, cheddar, honey mustard, and bacon. Yup. I know your order by heart, babe.”

“Don’t talk over me,” she says, grinning, but she’s already got half the sandwich in her mouth. She lets out an audible moan, and a “oh my god this is so good” around the sandwich. You laugh, pull yours out of the bag, and take a sip of your apple soda. _Way_ better than a milkshake.

But what’s best, is that you’re drinking it with them here.

  
  


You’re home by the next afternoon. You have to help Karkat a little - his eye’s still covered, with an ice pack pressed to it, and he’s having a hard time walking properly. “Everything’s off balance,” he mumbles, grabbing at your arm to sit down on the couch. You help him onto it, and he collapses, looking exhausted. “Can I please fucking take this off?”

“Not for another day,” you say, and press a kiss to his hand. “Do you want anything?”

“Ugh.” He shrugs, and then winces. “I’d love it if my arm would stop hurting… I thought they got all the fucking glass out.”

“Wrong arm, babe,” you say, and sit down next to him. He immediately moves a little, making more room for you on the couch, and you settle down next to him, taking the hand you know won’t make him wince. “ _This_ one's burnt. But both’ll heal in time, and I can call Jane -”

“No. I really don’t want her involved, okay? Please, just… don’t bring all of your globe-juggling god friends into this. I get it, you’re worried about me, I’m injured and you’re getting all over protective matesprit on my poor, unsuspecting ass. But I’m suspecting it now, so you can cut down on that shit. I’m good. I’m safe, I’m home, there’s a fuckton of blankets and pillows around here so I’ll be warm and we have fucking _food_ and you can order shit since neither of you can actually cook.” Karkat lets out a deep breath, sinking into the couch. “Look… really, I understand! You’re worried. I’m hurt. It’s whatever, I’ll heal.”

“It’s not _whatever_ when you’ve got a burn wound like some… some fucking ninja samurai with a flaming sword from some guy’s D&D party came at you and tried to chop your skin off.” Bad metaphor, again. You’ll work on them. “You know that taste you get in your mouth when you eat a shitload of jalapenos? It’s like that. ‘Course I’m worried about you, you’re not just my boyfriend, you’re one of my best friends.”

Karkat glares at you. “That’s Egbert.”

“John’s one of my best friends. You can have more than one, dumbass. This isn’t moirail territory.”

“Oh shut _up_. You can be pale-polyamorous, that’s totally a fucking thing.”

“You sound like your dumb dancestor.”

Continuance of the previous glare while he swats at your arm with his hand - you’re laughing, trying to get away from him, before he finally settles back down and rests his hand in yours. “I get it, Dave, I do. You’re…”

“What? Are you gonna pull a ‘your Bro was an abusive fuckwad’ card, so it makes me being worried about my boyfriend fit into perspective or somethin’?”

He shakes his head and sighs. “Your Bro was a thinkpan-less assmaggot who had no place raising a child, especially not one as amazing as you - and don’t let that go to your head, I’m just saying. But no, this isn’t about that. You’re… you worry about everyone, that’s a fact. You care about people, sometimes more than they give a damn about you.”

“Wow, way to call me out. Hashtag callout, why don’t you.”

“Shut the fuck up, Dave. I’m serious. I _know_ you’re worried about me, but I’m your boyfriend, not your child, or your sister, or even your family.”

“You’re my family, so you shut the fuck up. You and Jade are my family. What part of that don’t you get?” You sigh, and get to your feet. “Gimme a second. I’ll be right back.”

“You’re seriously just going to walk off?” he asks, staring at you.

“No! Just hold onto your stupid gray asscheeks for a second, okay?” And you retreat into the bedroom, rifling through your belongings for a few moments before you hurry back into the room. “Close your eyes.”

“What, are you putting a frog into my -”

“ _Close them_ ,” you say, voice sharp, and he does, holds out his hand. You curl his fingers over it, and then groan. “This wasn’t how I wanted you to find out, but… open your eyes. Go ahead. Take a fuckin’ look.”

He does, and stares at what’s in his hand for a moment before… “Oh.”

“Yeah.”

“...Really?”

“Yeah,” you say.

“Does… does Jade know?”

“As far as I know, no, but you know Jade. She’s pretty fucking omnipotent or whatever.” You take the rings back from him, take a good look at them yourself - one silver, with a jade heart surrounded by red (for you and Karkat), and the other gold with a red heart surrounded by jade-green. “So, yeah. I mean… you really are my family, okay? And… I wanna make that official. I’ve wanted to for a few weeks… was gonna ask you both this weekend.”

“Was gonna ask us what?” Jade says, and you drop the rings, turning around to see her holding two mugs of tea. She sets them down on the coffee table, crossing her arms curiously.

“Uh,” you say, and Karkat’s eyes widen, his jaw dropping. “It’s…”

“You’re on the ground… were you going to give Karkat a -”

You turn towards her, scooping the rings off the ground, and hold out your hands.

She gasps, and leans forward, grabbing the silver ring out from your fingers. “Oh. I… oh, Dave, these are beautiful.”

“Yeah, sorry. I…”

“Yes,” she says, and leans down, pressing her lips against your forehead, smiling. “I say yes. Karkat?”

“Oh, you think you need a fucking answer?” Karkat rolls his eyes, grabs the other from your palm, slides it onto this ring finger with another wince. “Of course the answer’s yes. Don’t be daft, Jade, I’m not some asswiping shitmuncher who wouldn’t say yes to the man he’s loved for an entire fucking _decade_.”

You laugh, sitting back down on the couch, the butterflies that’ve been restless in your stomach finally settling down. Jade leans forward and kisses you, then takes her cup of tea and sips at it, smiling serenely.

“We’ll have to get you a ring, too,” she says, then giggles. “I’m thinking… bronze. Oh, or copper!”

“Ugh,” says Karkat. “Definitely _not_ bronze. What’s that silver that’s almost black?”

“Platinum?” Jade asks, raising an eyebrow. “Wait… no… hmm, rose gold? Wait… no… that’s definitely not it… Oh, maybe titanium? I think that’s black…”

You laugh, shaking your head. “I don’t care. Don’t need a ring.”

“Yes, you do. I don’t want anymore McGrubbles employees hitting on you like you’re a fresh piece of prime ass-real estate. Or that damn lady who thought you needed a moirail. You don’t need a fucking moirail - you already have John, he’s BASICALLY your moirail.”

“He’s not Dave’s moirail! Not all best friends are moirails, Karkat…”

“Naaaah, if I _was_ gonna have a moirail in our friend group, it’d be Terezi.”

“Ugh. You’re a piece of shit, you know that, right?”

“Karkat! Don’t -”

“I mean,” you say, leaning over and planting a kiss right on his mouth, “he’s right.”

And for once in your life, everything seems like from now on, it's going to be good.


End file.
